‘It’s a hellfire!’: how are India and Pakistan coping with extreme heat?

Loading player...
India and Pakistan have experienced their hottest April in 122 years. Temperatures are nearing 50C. Such extreme heat dries up water reservoirs, melts glaciers and damages crops. It’s also deadly. Ian Sample hears from Pakistan reporter Shah Meer Baloch about the situation on the ground, and speaks to Indian heat health expert Abhiyant Tiwari about what such temperatures do to the body and how south Asia is adapting to ever more frequent – and ever more extreme – heatwaves.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
10 May 2022 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Why we get Sad and what helps

As the nights draw in, many of us can experience low mood. But for a small proportion of people a more intense depression develops through the winter months. It’s a phenomenon that since the 1980s has been labelled seasonal affective disorder, or Sad, and can be debilitating for sufferers. To…
10 Nov 16 min

‘Ferritin face’: can you really diagnose low iron from a selfie?

Social media is awash with claims iron deficiency can be identified in the mirror by dark circles, breaking hair and dry skin. But is ‘ferritin face’ real? Madeleine Finlay tells Ian Sample why so many of us struggle to keep our iron levels up, how we can actually diagnose low…
5 Nov 21 min

How a scientist went from hero to traitor in a US water crisis

When the water in Flint, Michigan, became contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, Dr Siddhartha Roy, then a third year PhD student, was part of the team of scientists who publicly contradicted state and federal claims that it was safe. He became a local hero until a new piece of…
3 Nov 18 min

Perimenopause is everywhere. How do you know if you’re in it?

Perimenopause has become a hot topic, with celebrities sharing their experiences and doctors offering tips and advice online. But despite the benefits of growing awareness, a rising number of women are now encountering misinformation about treatments such as HRT. Madeleine Finlay hears from Dr Paula Briggs, a consultant in sexual…
27 Oct 15 min